The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] is reporting that vaccine hesitancy in Black and brown communities has taken a positive shift.
“There might be a reason to top off the tanks a little bit,” said University of Pennsylvania immunologist E. John Wherry.
The CDC reports that nearly 74 percent of the total population in the United States have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. As of March 7, African Americans made up 10 percent of people who have received at least one dose of the vaccine compared to 12 percent of the total population.
However, the vaccination rate among Black people has risen in the last two weeks, and is now at 16 percent.
The Hispanic community makes up a larger portion of the vaccinated population at 21 percent, with newly vaccinated members among the community rising to 38 percent compared to their share of the total population at 17 percent.
The numbers remain relatively low for African Americans and Hispanics receiving their third additional booster. According to the CDC, “62% of booster recipients were White, 8% were Black, 8% were Asian, and 15% were Hispanic.”
That news comes as the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] has granted permission for a second COVID-19 booster shot – a fourth for those already receiving the additional dose.
The authorization is for individuals 50 and older, which health officials said would provide extra protection for the most vulnerable population if infections spike again.
The FDA previously approved fourth doses for those 12 and older with severely compromised immune systems. The agency noted that a third booster – or fifth shot – would also be available for that group.
The FDA will hold an advisory committee meeting on April 6 to discuss the future of booster shots in the U.S. and whether the vaccines need an update to offer better protection against variants.
“It would not be surprising if there is a potential need for people to get an additional booster in the fall along with a more general booster campaign if that takes place,” Dr. Peter Marks, head of the FDA office responsible for vaccine safety said in a Tuesday release.
“It may be that a decision is made that rather than the vaccines we currently have, which are called vaccines against the prototype virus, that we will move to a vaccine that is either against one of the variants or something else.”
According to an Associated Press report, the latest expansion, regardless of people’s health, allows an extra shot to millions more Americans. The report noted that there’s “limited evidence to tell how much benefit another booster could offer right now.”
“There might be a reason to top off the tanks a little bit” for older people and those with other health conditions, University of Pennsylvania immunologist E. John Wherry, told the wire service.
But while he encourages older friends and relatives to follow the advice, the 50-year-old Wherry, who is healthy, vaccinated and boosted, told AP “I’m going to wait until it seems like there’s a need.”
Further, the AP reported that none of the COVID-19 vaccines are as strong against the omicron mutant as they were against earlier versions of the virus. Also, protection against milder infections naturally wanes over time.
“But the immune system builds multiple layers of defense and the type that prevents severe illness and death is holding up,” the news service noted.
